How to beat the morning commute: For 2 N.J. men, it's by kayak

Robert Sciarrino/The Star-LedgerErik David Barber (left) and Zach Schwitzky, both from Hoboken, paddle their kayaks out of a cove in Hoboken as they start their their morning commute across the Hudson River to Manhattan.

HOBOKEN — At dawn, the two commuters rise and join the caravan of caffeine-addled New Jerseyans traveling to Manhattan.

Zach Schwitzky and Erik David Barber head out in their vehicles, along with the hundreds of thousands of bridge and tunnel people trying to get across the Hudson River.

Only theirs is a different sort of commute.

The two friends and co-workers from Hoboken make the common commute in a most uncommon way — by kayak.

They have found a way to beat toll and gas price hikes, while getting exercise — and dodging the occasional barge.

"Not a bad morning commute, huh?" Barber said from the middle of the river early Thursday.

New Jersey’s highways were jammed with broken heroes on a last-chance power drive — or just people trying to get to work.

Interstate 78 was at a standstill in Union and Essex counties, Interstate 80 was clogged in Morris County and Interstate 280 was crawling in Essex County. There was an accident on Route 46 in Bergen County.

It wasn’t much better on the rails, where commuters in the century-old tunnel to New York Penn Station were delayed because of problems with the signals that control the trains.

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One mile from them, but a million miles away, Schwitzky and Barber paddled their "Eskimo canoes" toward the sun-splashed New York skyline.

The only honks and beeps they heard were from the waterfowl. The only obstacles in their way were the waves left from a boat.

With Schwitzky in the blue Jackson Ibis recreational kayak and Barber in the orange Jackson Journey touring model, they set off at 7:36 a.m. from a cove in Hoboken. They traveled across choppy water and past the new World Trade Center building, the ferries, the Empire State Building, the docks and the well-fed seagulls.

The digital media entrepreneurs travel about a mile on the river to get to their office in the Hell’s Kitchen section of Manhattan, a trip that takes close to a half-hour.

They dock the kayaks near their office on West 37th Street and walk the rest of the way, amid the cacophony of daily life in New York — the beeping and the honking and the whirring.

Sometimes they bring the watercraft to their office. Even to jaded New Yorkers, it’s quite the sight to see a pair of men carrying kayaks down the street.

Both are 29 and executives at Newlio, which they describe as a social engagement exchange in which consumers share what they think for early access to the products and services they want. Jackson Kayak, one of their strategic partners, gave them the kayaks, which run between $800 and $1,200.

Two New Jerseyans commute from Hoboken to New York City by kayak Hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents commute to New York City every work day. They descend upon Manhattan Island every morning with a steady flow of trains, ferries, cars and buses. Two new Jerseyans living in Hoboken have added kayaks to that list. Zach Schwitzky and Erik David Barber use their kayaks to cross the Hudson River at least three days per week. Their hope is set an example and possibly interest other commuters to join them for a little exercise and do something positive for the environment. (Video by Andre Malok / The Star-Ledger)

Baseball teammates 11 years ago at San Diego State University under hitting legend Tony Gwynn, the friends reunited three months ago when Schwitzky, co-founder and the mind behind Newlio, brought on Barber as a campaign manager.

The two friends were of one mind when it came to commuting to New York by bus.

They hated it.

But they live too far from the train station, and found the ferries too expensive.

"We wanted to find a better way to get here from Hoboken — we’re not a huge fan of public transportation," said Barber, who grew up in the Mullica Hill section of Harrison Township in Gloucester County and has appeared in soap operas such as "All My Children" and movies such as "He’s Just Not That Into You."

"We wanted to do something that was a little more eco-friendly and we said, you know what? We love the outdoors. We love to kayak. Why is it out of the question to kayak to work? And a light kind of went off."

They began kayaking to work about two months ago.

It is not a commute for the novice.

Even with mostly calm currents Thursday morning, Schwitzky and Barber had to paddle their way out of a choppy wake and book to sidestep an oncoming ferry.

"They don’t see us — we see them," said Schwitzky, an Arizona native who came to Jersey to play baseball at Seton Hall.

Invigorating and scenic as their trip may be, Schwitzky and Barber are ever alert for the barges and fast-moving ferries as they paddle left-right-left. They say the trip can be more perilous during the dark hours of the day, and know that one lapse of concentration could send them up the creek without a paddle.

They make the kayak commute about three or four days a week, skipping when weather conditions are too hazardous. They leave a change of clothes at the office and head out in a wet suit or athletic gear.

Schwitzky and Barber have told others about what they consider the most interesting commute in New York City, and there has been talk of a meet-up group, where a kayaking commuting community would head to Manhattan like a pack of ducks.

"We’re hoping to get the community together and go from two, to four, to 10, to 15," Schwitzky said. "Then the boats will get out of our way."